'Beyond proud and overwhelmed!' - Telford pub ecstatic after scooping restaurant of the year award

The Cock Hotel in Wellington scooped the county's top honours at the Master Chef Promotions Business Hospitality & Excellence Awards 2025, having been joined by Telford venue Restaurant 1840, and Osteria in Shrewsbury in a three-restaurant shortlist for Shropshire.

And the owners of the landmark Telford pub admitted they were "a little overwhelmed" after judges were bowled over by its "wholesome, hearty" menu - before naming the restaurant as the best in the county at the ceremony on Wednesday, August 27.

The business has gone from strength-to-strength since a £1 million refurbishment in 2022, having been bought out by Shropshire beer firm Joules' Brewery.

"We're absolutely buzzing, it feels completely surreal to be honest with you, " said landlord Simon Smith, who runs the Cock Hotel with business partner Louise Jordan.

"We're not award chasers, we're not that sort of business. Myself and Lou have always said it's a hospitality and service business we're in, and for me the difference is the interactions and people buying into what we do as part of the community. For some of our customers it's a home from home.

"We sat down and compiled a list of all the foods we'd go into a pub for, and it's pretty much what it would have been 20 or 30 years ago - people's tastes don't change that much - and just making it a bit more modern. We've got a team in the kitchen that just 'gets it' and we try and give them all the encouragement we can with that."

Simon, a former golf professional prior to taking the reigns at the Cock Hotel, paid tribute to Joules Brewery, who he said had created something "fresh and a little bit different" in a previously unfashionable pocket of Wellington.

But he said it was the "hard work, passion, and dedication" of his kitchen staff which had ensured the pubs food offer was recognised against such a high calibre of restaurants elsewhere in the county.

"We're giving people what we want to eat, that's the reality of it. Our remit to our chefs has always been good, wholesome, hearty pub grub but with a modern twist, and within that we just let them loose," he said.

"Our head chef Simon has a young team, they're really enthusiastic and our junior chefs are all on degree apprenticeships, they've got a spark and the standards are really high.

"It's not always been easy, it was tough at times. We've had some good support from the local council and we've managed to expand, we wanted to create a safe and welcoming place. 

"We wanted to create somewhere that gave a little bit of everything, food, live entertainment and just a nice vibe and a nice feel. If you give somebody a nice framework and then you put a heartbeat in it, people that care, it works."